166、主创造万物是通过活的太阳，丝毫不通过死的太阳，这一点从以下事实可以看出来：活物能使死物倾向于顺从自己，并为了功用，即它的目的而形成它；但反过来不行。只有失去理性、不知道何为生命的人才会认为一切事物皆来自自然界，甚至认为生命也来自自然界。自然界不能将生命赋予任何事物，因为自然界本身完全是惰性的。事实上，死物作用于活物，或死的力量作用于活的力量，或也可说自然界作用于灵界，是完全违背秩序的，所以如此思考违背正常理性之光。诚然，死物，即属世之物可能因外在事故以种种方式被败坏或改变，但它依旧无法作用于生命；反倒是生命照着所导致的形式变化进入它里面进行作用。进入灵魂的属灵运作的物质流注也一样；众所周知，这是不可能发生的。
166. As evidence that everything was created by the Lord by means of the living sun and nothing by means of the dead sun, there is the fact that what is living arranges what is dead as it pleases. It shapes it for the forms of service that are its goals. The process does not happen the other way around.
Only someone deprived of reason can think that everything comes from nature, that it is even the source of life. People like this do not know what life is. Nature cannot arrange life for anything. In its own right, nature is completely lifeless. It is totally contrary to the design for something dead to activate something living, for a dead force to activate a living one, or--which amounts to the same thing--for something physical to activate something spiritual. Thinking along such lines is therefore contrary to the light of sound reason.
True, something dead or physical can be distorted or changed in many ways by external impingements, but it still cannot activate life. Rather, life activates it according to any change of form that has been imposed on it. The same holds for any physical inflow into the spiritual workings of the soul. We realize that this does not happen because it cannot happen.
166. The Lord created everything by means of the alive sun and nothing by means of the lifeless sun, and this can be seen from the fact that something alive disposes what is lifeless to compliance with itself and forms it to serve the uses which it has as its goals. This does not occur, however, in reverse.
To think that everything is due to nature, and that even life is due to it, is possible only to one bereft of reason. Such a one does not know what life is. Nature cannot impart life to anything, for nature in itself is totally inert. Something lifeless impelling something alive, or a lifeless force impelling a living force, or to say the equivalent, something natural impelling something spiritual, is totally contrary to order, and therefore to entertain the thought is contrary to the sight of sound reason.
It is possible, indeed, for something lifeless or natural to be perverted or altered in many ways by extraneous events, but still it cannot impel life, but is impelled by life in accordance with the induced alteration in form. The case is identical with that of physical influx into the spiritual operations of the soul - something known not to occur because it is not possible.
166. That all things have been created by the Lord by means of the living Sun, and nothing by the dead sun, may be established from this, that a living thing disposes a dead thing to compliance with it, and forms it for uses which are its ends, but not the other way round. Only a man devoid of reason can think that all things are from nature, and that life even is from nature; he does not know what life is. Nature cannot dispose life to anything, for nature in itself is quite inert. For a dead thing to act upon a living thing, or a dead force upon a living force, or what is the same, for the natural to act on the spiritual, is entirely contrary to order, and therefore to think so is contrary to the light of sound reason. What is dead, that is, natural, may indeed, in many ways, be perverted and changed by external happenings, but yet it cannot act into life. But life acts into it, according to the change of form induced. It is the same with physical influx into the spiritual operations of the soul, which, it is known, does not occur for it is not possible.
166. That all things were created by the Lord through the living sun, and nothing through the dead sun, can be seen from this, that what is living disposes what is dead in obedience to itself, and forms it for uses, which are its ends; but not the reverse. Only a person bereft of reason and who is ignorant of what life is, can think that all things are from nature, and that life even comes from nature. Nature cannot dispense life to anything, since nature in itself is wholly inert. For what is dead to act upon what is living, or for dead force to act upon living force, or, what is the same, for the natural to act upon the spiritual, is entirely contrary to order, therefore so to think is contrary to the light of sound reason. What is dead, that is, the natural, may indeed in many ways be perverted or changed by external accidents, but it cannot act upon life; on the contrary life acts into it, according to the induced change of form. It is the same with physical influx into the spiritual operations of the soul; this, it is known, does not occur, for it is not possible.
166. Quod omnia a Domino per Solem vivum creata sint, et nihil per Solem mortuum, constare potest ex eo, quod vivum disponat mortuum ad sui obsequium, et formet illud ad usus, qui sunt fines ejus; non autem vicissim. Cogitare quod omnia a natura sint, et quod ab illa etiam sit vita, non potest nisi quam orbatus ratione; is non scit quid vita; natura non potest disponere vitam ad quicquam, est enim natura in se prorsus iners; quod mortuum in vivum, seu vis mortua in vim vivam, seu quod idem, naturale in spirituale, agat, est prorsus contra ordinem, et inde id cogitare est contra sanae rationis lumen. Potest quidem mortuum, seu naturale, multis modis ab externis accidentibus perverti aut mutari, at usque non potest agere in vitam, sed vita in illud secundum inductam mutationem formae agit; hoc idem est cum influxu physico in spirituales animae operationes, qui quod non detur, quia non dabilis, notum est.